A Letter to me at 14
Dear 14-year-old me,
You are in 7th or 8th grade, arguably the most difficult time of your life. No other time in your life will ever be so devastating.
You are still enduring a lot at home, but you will get through it. It will take some therapy later in life, but we all need that, I assure you. I wish I had some advice on how to end the difficulty, but I am still at a loss on that one. Just grow up and leave home. That’s the best advice I’ve got.
Your mom will have a nervous breakdown this year. It’ll be tough, and your dad will be of no help. Don’t expect him to save you. He’s not that man. It will make you sad, but help will come from outside the home. Just know that you won’t have to bear the burden too long.
School will be tough. There won’t be anyone to save you there, either. You won’t be challenged and there is nothing to be done about it. If it weren’t for your gifted class, you would have no respite from the drudgery.
You will have a tough decision to make, but the decision to fail 8th grade is the right one. It will put you with a class that has not known you since kindergarten and doesn’t have preconceived ideas about you. You will find room to come out of your shell and be yourself. It will be very freeing.
Here is the tough part of this year. You will try to commit suicide. You won’t succeed. This is the best part of this year. You won’t succeed! Your parents won’t even notice, and that will make you even sadder, but you will decide that you won’t do it again. Why do them the favor?
This year is tough. There seems to be no respite in sight. Your best friend will dump you, and she will be replaced by your worn copies of poetry and Edgar Allen Poe. New best friends will come along next year. The second 8th grade will be much better.
The best thing about this year is that you will be stronger for it. It is a strength that will serve you for the rest of your life. You will draw from it far into adulthood.